title: Early ideas on the nutritional significance of lipids.
abstract: By 1824, Chevreul had demonstrated that fats were esters of glycerol and fatty acids of differing chain length. At the time, it was thought that fats could be synthesized only by the plant kingdom. However, by 1850, it had been found from balance studies that animals also could synthesize fats from carbohydrates. The caloric value of fat was determined in the 1860s and shown to be more than double that of carbohydrate. In 1907, it was shown that this was also true when fat was used as a source of energy for physical work. The special value of cod liver oil for the prevention and treatment of rickets was well known by 1850 but was not to be explained until much later.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of California, Berkeley 94720-3104, USA.
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Carpenter
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000145:classification / Q000266:history* / Q000378:metabolism; D004046:Dietetics / Q000266:history*; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D005060:Europe; D049671:History, 18th Century; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049690:History, Ancient; D006801:Humans; D009753:Nutritive Value
chemical_list: D004041:Dietary Fats